Jean-Marie Le Pen, founder of the far-right National Front, was charged on Friday for “embezzlement of public funds” over allegations he illegally claimed money from the European parliament to pay France-based staff.
Le Pen, who was an MEP from the 1980s up until this year, was investigated over the improper spending of EU funds after the European Parliament lifted his immunity in March.
Judges questioned Le Pen for more than four hours about the jobs of three of his aides, according to his lawyers.
Despite losing his immunity, Le Pen has refused to appear before the judges. Le Pen’s estranged daughter Marine, who now heads the renamed National Rally, has already been charged in the case.
Investigators suspect the National Front used money from Brussels earmarked for parliamentary assistants there to pay staff for party work in France.
It is estimated almost seven million euros was diverted from the European Parliament between 2009 and 2017.
Via The Local France / DW /France24
French shipping giant CMA CGM reported that its vessel San Antonio was attacked while passing through the Strait of Hormuz, leaving several crew members injured and the ship damaged. The...
Sweden has announced plans to establish a new foreign intelligence agency as part of a broader security overhaul driven by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Foreign Minister Ma...
Morning Briefing
Chevron Secures Offshore Study Licence in Malta Waters
Global energy company Chevron has signed an exploration study agreement with the Maltese government covering...
Updated 1230
Court Backs Pro-Rata Billing Method in ARMS Electricity Tariff Case: Malta’s Civil Court dismissed a case by Darren Cordina against ARMS, ruling that electricity tariffs ...
The European Parliament has thrown its weight behind demands for a bigger long-term EU budget, approving its position for negotiations on the bloc’s next seven-year financial framework f...
Disinformation is no longer spreading only through fringe actors or political agitators, but through a digital system that rewards outrage, sensationalism and engagement above accuracy, ...
Coinbase said on Tuesday it will cut about 700 jobs, or about 14% of its global workforce, as part of a restructuring plan aimed at reducing costs and repositioning the business fo...
STMicroelectronics is targeting well above $3 billion in cumulative revenue for its semiconductor space business from 2026 to 2028, it said on Monday, helped by surging demand for chips...
“A company’s workplace culture praised by management, needs to be taken with caution. But when the recognition comes directly from employees, that carries greater weight,” says JONATHAN ...
EU lawmakers have approved new rules aimed at strengthening how failing banks are managed, extending protections to a wider range of institutions and depositors across the bloc.
The p...
Malta Public Transport will be operating extended late-night services on the final night of the Malta International Fireworks Festival, scheduled for Thursday 30th April, ensuring specta...
Malta Public Transport announces that it will be operating two additional evening trips between Mġarr and Nadur in Gozo on Saturday 18 April 2026 to facilitate passenger travel following...
French shipping giant CMA CGM reported that its vessel San Antonio was attacked while passing through the Strait of Hormuz, leaving several crew members injured and the ship damaged. The...
A fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran appears increasingly uncertain, as fresh incidents in the Strait of Hormuz raise doubts over its durability. US Defence Secretary P...
Thousands of Cuban security personnel have begun leaving Caracas after nearly two decades in Venezuela, as Washington ramps up efforts to dismantle the long standing alliance between the...
María Corina Machado is a prominent figure in Venezuela’s opposition. She has reported that one of her closest associates, Juan Pablo Guanipa, was abducted. This occurred mere hours afte...
Ukraine struck Russia’s oil infrastructure in the Black Sea port city of Tuapse for the third time in a month, local authorities said Tuesday.
The city, which declared an environmenta...
Russian forces have taken 1,700 square km (656 square miles) of territory in Ukraine this year and are advancing on its so-called fortress belt in Donbas, Moscow's top general said whil...
